Secret Santa Evolution
by Cian'Perrel
Summary: What happens when the X-Men take part in a Secret Santa Gift Exchange? Confusion, jealousy, amazement, and an engagement? Who picked whom? What did they get them? And, why is this summary all questions?
1. Cast of Characters

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: This story takes place 7 years after the end of the series, and might leave you with some questions as to how certain things came about. I try to address some of them during the story, but I can't explain a whole 7 years in this short amount of time; so if you have any lingering questions, send me a message and I'll explain the reasoning behind my decisions. This story is intended to be a holiday story, but it does branch out from time to time. The reason for this is that I might want to use this story as a platform for another, so I need to set some roots down. This story is mostly written from Cyclops' P.O.V. but also has some snippets about other characters too. This first 'chapter' is merely a list of the characters that appear, or are mentioned, in the story, in no particular order.

**Cast of Characters (either appearing or mentioned in this story)**

**X-Men**

Cyclops - Scott Summers (team leader)

Nightcrawler - Kurt Wagner

Rogue - Anna Marie

Shadowcat - Katherine 'Kitty' Pryde

Iceman - Robert 'Bobby' Drake

Colossus - Piotr 'Peter' Rasputin

Gambit - Remy LeBeau

X-23 - Laura

**New Mutants**

Cannonball - Samuel 'Sam' Guthrie (co-leader)

Magma - Amara Aquilla (co-leader)

Berzerker - Raymond 'Ray' Crisp

Boom Boom - Tabitha 'Tabby' Smith

Sunspot - Roberto DaCosta

Jubilee - Jubilation 'Jubes' Lee

Multiple - Jamie Maddrox

Wolfsbane - Rahne Sinclair

**Institute Staff**

Professor X - Charles Xavier

Storm - Ororo Munroe

Beast - Henry 'Hank' McCoy

Wolverine - Logan

Phoenix - Jean Grey

**Students**

Illyana Rasputin (Magik)

Megan Gwynn (Pixie)

Santo Vaccarro (Rockslide)

Victor Borkowski (Anole)

Theresa Cassidy (Siryn)

**Brotherhood**

Magneto - Erik 'Magnus' Lehnsherr

Quicksilver - Pietro Maximoff

Scarlet Witch - Wanda Maximoff

Avalanche - Lance Alvers

Blob - Fred Dukes

Toad - Todd Tolansky

**Other**

Angel - Warren Worthington III


	2. UnLuck of the Draw

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: This story takes place 7 years after the end of the series, and might leave you with some questions as to how certain things came about. I try to address some of them during the story, but I can't explain a whole 7 years in this short amount of time; so if you have any lingering questions, send me a message and I'll explain the reasoning behind my decisions. This story is intended to be a holiday story, but it does branch out from time to time. The reason for this is that I might want to use this story as a platform for another, so I need to set some roots down. This story is mostly written from Cyclops' P.O.V. but also has some snippets about other characters too. Please read and review.

**Secret Santa**

Chapter.1.

Un-Luck of the Draw

I can't believe that I'm actually praying for some sort of threat that will require the X-Men. Heck I'd even settle for a good old scrap with the Brotherhood; that is if they weren't working for SHIELD now. Anything to help me get through the holiday season without having to deal with all the celebrating.

I look up at my desktop calendar. "Dammit! Only December 10th; could time possibly pass any slower?" I say out loud as I reach up under my ruby-quartz glasses and rub my eyes. When I look over at my clock, and realize that I'm actually late for a meeting, I swear again, "Shit!"

I jump up and quickly make my way down the hall to the elevator, ignoring the looks of curiosity on the faces of the students. When the elevator comes to a stop, I run down the metal hallway, and into the conference room at the end. "Sorry I'm late, Professor." I say.

"No need to apologize, Scott; I understand that you were busy." Professor Xavier says. "Please have a seat."

As I take my place next to Kurt, I look around and see that all the members of both teams are here. "Wow, dude, even Tabby made it here before you." Kurt whispers to me.

"Bite me, blue boy." I reply back with a smile.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, we can begin." Professor Xavier says, opening his arms wide to encompass the whole room. "I've gathered you here today to make a couple of announcements, as well as talk about the upcoming holidays."

I groan inwardly, or at least that's what I think I do until I look up to see everyone staring at me. "Sorry." I mumble.

"Firstly, you all know about the installation that I'm having built on Muir Island. Well, I'm afraid that I will need to head over to take care of some rather delicate details, and will be gone for an indefinite amount of time, along with Ororo and Henry; but not to worry, as Scott has graciously accepted to take over the Headmaster position until my return. Also filling out the senior staff will be Kurt and Kitty."

Everyone starts applauding, and offering their congratulations to us.

"That's not all." Professor Xavier says. "Scott has been working on a little project involving the teams, that has yet to be completed, but which will involve some significant roster changes." He looks over at me and sends telepathically, ***Oh yes, I know all about it Scott, but don**'**t worry, I won**'**t be revealing anything today. We will be able to discuss it when I return.*** He then continues for everyone else, "The only thing I can tell you all is that there will be no more New Mutants, you are all officially X-Men as of today. Scott will be the overall leader, but field leaders will be chosen on a mission by mission basis."

The looks of shock and joy on the faces of the New Mutants are priceless, and I can tell that I'm going to be fielding a ton of questions about this in the next few days.

"Now, as I was saying, the holiday season is upon us, and most of the students will be heading home, along with many of you, but several of you have decided to stay here for the holidays; Scott, Peter, Ray, Tabitha, and Laura. There will be four students that are not going home and they will be your responsibility." Professor Xavier says, looking at each of us in turn.

"I have one last thing that I wish to discuss before we finish this meeting, and that is the gift exchange. Every year, it's been a tradition of the senior staff to have a Secret Santa gift exchange, but Kitty pointed out that Ororo, Henry, and myself are leaving for Muir Island, and Logan is working with the Avengers, so she thought that, perhaps, it's time I passed the tradition on down to you; and I readily agree, it's long overdue. So this year, I thought it would be fun to have all the members of the X-Men take part in the gift exchange." He reaches down and pulls out a top hat from under the table.

He shakes it a little and says, "I've taken the liberty of writing down all your names on slips of paper and putting them in this hat. I'm going to pass it around, and let you each draw a name; if you get your own name, just put it back in and choose another." He slides the hat over to me. "Scott, if you would be so kind as to get us started."

I reach into the hat and pull out a slip of paper. As I unfold it, I see my own name on it. "I got myself." I say as I hold up the paper for everyone to see, before dropping it back in.

"Wow, what are the odds?" Kurt says.

I pull out another slip of paper, and look at the name. _'Laura!'_ I think to myself.

***Oh dear; good luck with that one, son.*** Professor Xavier says to me telepathically.

I hand the hat over to Kurt, who dunks his hand in and starts stirring it around, before pulling out a slip of paper, and handing the hat to Kitty. I watch as Kitty seems to be concentrating really hard, hoping to pick a certain name. When she reads the slip of paper, her face drops, and she frowns. _'I guess she was hoping for Pete and didn't get him.'_ I think.

I continue to watch as the hat makes its way around the table, laughing inwardly at how bad some people are at hiding who they chose, as they immediately look at the person. _'Note to self: join them for poker night; they have horrible poker faces.'_

Once Sam takes the last slip of paper, he hands the hat back to Professor Xavier, who then says, "There we have it. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He puts the top hat on and turns to leave. "...I have a plane to catch."

Everyone starts to laugh, and says goodbye to him as we file out of the room.

Once we're back upstairs, I catch Kurt's and Bobby's attention, and gesture down the hall to my office. They both understand, and the three of us head to my office.

Kurt closes the door, while I sit behind my desk and Bobby sits in one of the two chairs in front of it. Kurt then teleports to the other chair.

"So, what's up, Headmaster?" Bobby asks, and I shoot him a look.

"Don't start with that, Ice-Cube, or you'll be on danger room clean-up duty until the Professor returns."

"Can he do that?" Bobby asks Kurt.

"He is the Headmaster; he can do that, and more." Kurt replies.

"Anyways, to get back to why I called you guys here." I say, getting them to look back at me. "Who did you guys pick for the gift exchange?"

"I got Amara." Kurt says. "She's not that bad to shop for."

I look over at Bobby, and he sighs, "Gambit. I have no idea what to get the guy."

I'm just about to ask Bobby if he wants to trade with me, when Kurt says, "Well, it's not that bad; you could have drawn Laura."

Bobby shivers, "Yeah; compared to Laura, Gambit's a breeze. Boy do I feel sorry for the sucker that picked her."

"Yeah. Who did you get, Scott?" Kurt asks.

I drop my head onto my desk, and mumble, "Laura."

"Oh...Wow." Bobby says.

"Yeah...good luck with that." Kurt adds.

I glance up and ask, "So, I guess neither of you want to trade?" Silence is my only reply. "I thought so. What am I going to do?"

"Well maybe someone else will wanna trade." Bobby suggests. "We could ask around; discreetly."

"You think?" I ask, sitting back up.

"Not really, but it's worth a try." he replies. "Why don't you go and ask Peter and Gambit, while Kurt can talk to Kitty and Anna, and I can take care of the New Mutants...I mean the other X-Men."

"You guys would do that for me?" I ask.

"Yeah dude, what are friends for?" Kurt says.

"Sure thing, Scott; you're our bud." Bobby says. "And buds do things for each other; like not giving each other danger room clean-up duty."

That makes Kurt and I laugh. "Thanks guys, I appreciate this." I say as I get up. "I'm going to try and catch Pete and Remy before they head out. Let me know if you guys have any luck."

* * *

Later that same day, I'm back in my office, working on the duty roster for the next few weeks, when Kurt and Bobby walk in and sit down.

"Any luck?" I ask.

"Nope." Bobby says.

"Nada." Kurt says.

"Ah man, this sucks." I say.

"So I take it that Peter and Gambit didn't want to trade either?" Bobby asks.

"Got that right. Neither of them would tell me who they had, but they both seemed happy with their selections; so I'm assuming Kitty and Anna."

"Probably." Kurt says.

"Yeah." Bobby says. "Makes sense. I don't know what Peter and Kitty are waiting for; they should just hook-up already. It's obvious to everyone that the two of them have the hots for each other...even you." He gestures to me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, let's face it Scott, you're not the most observant person when it comes to relationships." Bobby replies.

"Yeah, unless it's a battle situation, or something mechanical, you are pretty clueless." Kurt adds.

"I mean it took you six whole months to notice that Jubes and I had started dating." Bobby says.

"And don't even get me started on the crush Anna had on you when she first got here." Kurt says.

"Okay, okay, okay: I get it." I say as I hold up my hands to show surrender. "Can we get back to the issue at hand here; what am I going to do?"

"Well Anna wouldn't tell me who she had, and didn't want to trade, and Kitty was busy trying to trade hers, but not for Laura." Kurt says.

I look over at Bobby as he starts ticking names off on his fingers. "Sam's got Jubes, but the bastard wouldn't trade her to me. Roberto's got Jamie, but laughed when I brought up trading him for Laura. Ray's got Tabby, and you know he's been looking for any excuse to turn their casual, no-strings attached, on again off again relationship into something more; so no trade there. Jamie's got Ray and wouldn't trade for Laura with me, but I'm sure he's scared enough of you to do it." Bobby says.

"I'm not going to force anyone to trade with me." I reply, while making a mental note to remember Jamie if I get desperate.

"The girls were a little harder to get any info out of, but eventually I found out that Rahne has got Sam, Jubes has Roberto, and neither of them wanna trade for Laura. Amara and Tabby wouldn't talk, but no deal on a trade."

"What am I going to get her? I mean the girl has no hobbies or interests outside of fighting and training." I sigh and try to return to my work.

Kurt suddenly reaches out and takes a blank sheet of paper and a pen from my desk, then begins to scribble furiously. I glance over at Bobby, who has the same puzzled look on his face and shrugs.

When he is finished writing, Kurt slams the paper down on my desk and says, "Well at least one good thing came out of today."

"What's that?" I ask.

"We have a pretty good idea of who picked our names."

"We do?" Bobby asks.

"Yeah." Kurt says, as he gestures for us to look at the paper. "See look; we know that I have Amara, Scott has Laura, and you have Gambit."

"Let me stop you right there for a moment. Why are Anna and I the only people who call him Remy? I mean you guys have known him just as long as I have, and he's been on the team for six years now. Don't you think you should start using his real name when not on a mission?" I ask them.

"I guess, but that's a discussion for another time; let's get back to this, shall we?" Kurt says, tapping on the paper. "We also know that Sam has Jubes, Ray has Tabby, Roberto has Jamie, Jamie has Ray, Jubes has Roberto, and Rahne has Sam. We can guess that Gambit has..."

"Remy." I say.

"Fine, Remy has Anna, and Peter has Kitty; we can also guess that Kitty is going to get Peter. So that leaves Anna, Tabby, Amara, and Laura that we don't know who they picked, and the three of us plus Rahne who haven't been chosen."

"There's no reason that anyone wouldn't tell us about having Rahne, so it's probably the one person that we didn't ask; Laura." Bobby says.

Both Kurt and I nod in agreement. "And seeing as Anna and I already get each other a Christmas gift every year, I don't see her having mine; or at least holding onto it if she does." Kurt says.

"Right, and I don't think Anna would keep having me a secret, so she probably has Scott." Bobby says.

"My thoughts exactly." Kurt says. "So we agree that Anna must have Scott, and Tabby and Amara have me and Bobby?"

Bobby and I nod. "Well this doesn't solve my problem, but it is interesting to know, and I'm glad to see you two using logic while exhibiting your problem solving skills; that's one of the skills a possible leader needs to have." I say.

They both look up at me with shock on their faces. "Us? Leaders?" they say in unison.

"Yeah. I can see the two of you becoming team leaders one day; but don't dwell on it." I say as I walk around my desk and usher them out of my office.

"But..." Bobby says.

"No buts; I'm not going to discuss this now." I give them one last shove and close my door.

I head back to my desk and sigh. _'What the hell am I supposed to get Laura? I don't even know anything about her life from before she joined the team; it's like she didn't even exist before she got here.'_ I think to myself as I try to finish the duty roster. _'I know that the Professor and Logan told us not to ask, and I haven't; but I can't help but feel like she only started her life the moment she walked through our front door.'_

I stop writing and look out the window. _'Wait a minute; she kind of did start a new life when she walked through the front door. She never got to have the kind of family life that many of the others had; no videos of special occasions, no pictures of her first steps...that's it; memories. I can give her memories.'_ I immediately shove the duty roster aside and log onto the Institutes computer network. It's a matter of several hours work to find everything I want, and then I copy the files onto a flash drive, and log off.

Realizing that it's late, and that I wouldn't be able to head to the store tonight, I open my locked drawer to put the flash drive in. Upon seeing a file that I had meant to work on, I remove it, and place it on my desk. I open the cover and read the title of the report that is inside _'X-Men: Going Global'_. I then sit back and read the report, making the adjustments that I had intended to.

* * *

**Text in Bold = *****Telepathic communication***

_Text in Italic = __'Thoughts'_


	3. Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: This story takes place 7 years after the end of the series, and might leave you with some questions as to how certain things came about. I try to address some of them during the story, but I can't explain a whole 7 years in this short amount of time; so if you have any lingering questions, send me a message and I'll explain the reasoning behind my decisions. This story is intended to be a holiday story, but it does branch out from time to time. The reason for this is that I might want to use this story as a platform for another, so I need to set some roots down. This story is mostly written from Cyclops' P.O.V. but also has some snippets about other characters too. Please read and review.

**Secret Santa**

Chapter.2.

Memories

As Christmas draws near, students and some of the X-Men start to make their way home to their families; however, the X-Men do still exchange gifts with those who won't be around for Christmas.

Kurt is the first to leave, having the furthest to travel, but makes sure to give Amara her present; a pair of tickets to a Broadway musical. The hug she gives him lets me know that the gift was well thought out, and definitely appreciated; I only hope Kurt's girlfriend Amanda realizes that, because the look she shoots Amara is one of pure venom. Tabby then steps forward and gives Kurt his present, insisting that he open it. It turns out to be a book, and I'm wondering why Tabby would get him a book until I see that it's an instructional manual on sword fighting. _'Kurt always has had a thing for swords.'_ I think.

Anna and Remy are the next to leave, but insist on waiting for their Secret Santa presents as they promise to be back on Christmas day. Kitty leaves the same day, heading home for Chanukah, but plans to return Christmas Eve; so again no gifts are exchanged.

Five days before Christmas it feels like an exodus is taking place, as anyone else who will be heading out does. Everyone gathers at the front entrance to see them off, and exchange gifts. Sam gives Jubes a pair of designer sunglasses, which she immediately puts on. Roberto gives Jamie a digital camera, then whispers something to him that makes him blush. Jubes gives Roberto a nice watch. Jamie and Rahne hand Sam and Ray an envelope, which, when opened, proves to be a pair of tickets to next seasons Kansas City Chiefs vs New York Giants game; how the two of them managed to find a pair of tickets, let alone afford them, is beyond me. Amara then gives Bobby a leather briefcase, and I realize that news of Bobby getting accepted to graduate school in business must have gotten out. _'Probably Jubes, proud of her boyfriend.'_ I think.

However, nothing comes as more of a surprise to us all then to see Peter coming down the stairs holding a large present, obviously a painting by its size and shape, and approaching Rahne. "This is for you, Little One." he says, handing it to her. "The idea for it was Jamie's." he says as he pats Jamie on the shoulder.

Rahne slowly rips the paper off to reveal a beautiful painting of Rahne in wolf form howling at the moon; however, it's not really a moon, but Rahne in human form. "We call it 'The Two Halves of True Beauty'." Peter says, still with his hand on Jamie's shoulder.

Rahne hands the painting to Jamie before hugging Peter and thanking him through tears.

"It was my pleasure, Little One; but it is Jamie who you must thank. I am merely the artist, it was his vision that I painted." Peter says as he hugs her back.

When she releases him, he takes the painting from Jamie, who is immediately engulfed in a hug by Rahne. A hug which turns into a kiss; their first, if I'm correct. Everyone gathered starts to applaud, whistle, or show some sign of approval for the two of them finally getting together.

Once the ruckus dies down, the students and the X-Men leaving head their separate ways; with the exception of Bobby and Jubes, who are heading to Los Angeles to spend the holidays with her adoptive parents, and check out Bobby's potential new school.

As the door closes behind the last of them I look around at those who will be remaining behind with me; there are four students, one of which is Peter's sister Illyana, and five X-Men, including myself. Not the greatest number of team members if something should happen, but enough.

I watch as Ray and Tabby try, unsuccessfully, to sneak away without being seen. Peter gathers Illyana up in his arms, and leads the students to the kitchen to make them dinner. Laura glances at me and, without a word, turns down the hall. _'Probably heading to the Danger Room.'_ I think.

Left alone, I let my mind wander, remembering happier times for me; times when Jean was still alive. It's been almost a year since she became the Phoenix and we were forced to fight her; and I was forced to kill her.

As has become my custom whenever my mind starts to travel along this path, I seek out someone who can take charge for a while, so that I can go 'deal' with it. I find Peter in the kitchen serving bowls of hot soup to the students while they make themselves peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. He glances at me as I enter, and can tell what I'm about to ask before I can even voice the words; sometimes I think Peter might be a latent telepath. "Go; I will make sure everything is okay here."

"Thanks." I nod in appreciation.

"Scott, please take your phone with you, and call us if you need anything; I don't want you driving home." he says, knowing exactly where I'm going and what I'm going to do.

"Okay." I say, as I turn around and head to the garage. It being winter, my convertible is out of the question; so instead, I take one of the Institutes sedans.

Sometime later, I pull into the parking lot of a bar that most people in Bayville avoid. The bartender nods to me as I enter and take a booth in the back, recognizing me from my frequent visits these last eleven months. It's a little after sunset, so the bar is still rather empty.

A waitress, who has been here as long as I've been coming, approaches my booth. "Heya Shades. Long time no see." she says, leaning forward to tease me with a view of her surgically enhanced cleavage. "Where you been?"

"Trying to live my life." I reply, not looking at her. "But something made me remember today, and I don't want to remember; I want to forget."

"So, the usual, then?" She says, standing back up.

"Yep; and keep 'em coming."

As she walks away, I laugh silently. Before Jean's death I had never touched a drop of alcohol; I was afraid to lose control and hurt someone. But since her death I've probably consumed more alcohol then the entire X-Men roster combined; and if someone gets hurt, all the better.

The waitress places a glass in front of me without saying a word; even she's accustomed to my routine. I pick it up, and start to drink, enjoying the burn as I swallow it down; whiskey straight, a double. Logan introduced me to this drink the first time I got drunk; it's all I ever drink now.

_**

* * *

ACROSS THE BAR**_

Three people slide into an empty booth and order drinks. As the waitress walks away to get them, the younger man with white hair, leans across the table to whisper, "Oh man, it looks like Summers just got here; I knew we were going to get here too early."

"Shut-up Pietro." the woman with short black hair says. "So we'll just have to sit here for awhile; it's not like we were doing all that much at home."

"Whatever Wanda; that's still better than sitting here waiting for Summers to drink himself stupid." Pietro replies.

"Enough, both of you." the older man sitting next to Wanda says. "Why don't we try to enjoy a night out, just the three of us, for once? I mean Chanukah has been going so well this year; let's not ruin it by bickering."

"Yes dad." both Wanda and Pietro reply at the same time.

"Good." Magneto says with a smile. "Ah, here are our drinks."

"Okay..." the waitress says, as she lays down her tray. "One Strawberry Daiquiri..." she places the drink in front of Wanda, who thanks her. "One Vodka Martini, extra olives..." she places the drink in front of Pietro. "And one glass of white wine." she places the glass in front of Magneto. "Can I get you folks anything else?"

"Yeah, actually; can I get some curly fries and nachos..." Pietro says. "And pretzels, and one of those jars of pickled eggs." He then turns to the other two. "You guys want anything?"

The waitress looks at Magneto with shock on her face. "No thank you." He says, before smiling at her and saying, "My son has a really fast metabolism."

As the waitress walks away to get Pietro his food, he leans across the table again, and asks, "So what's the plan, dad? You still haven't told us what we're going to do with Summers."

"The plan, Pietro, is to sit here and enjoy a night out with each other, while I do a favor for Charles." Magneto replies as he sips his drink.

"What? I thought we were gonna kick his ass, or kidnap him, or something."

"Nothing of the sort, Pietro. We're here to make sure that nothing happens to Summers, and to call Peter if there is any trouble."

"What's Peter gotta do with this?"

"He's the one who called me." Wanda replies. "Usually it's the Professor, but he's out of town, so Peter called me this time."

"Wait you've done this before?"

"Yeah, all the time. Usually it's just me and Lance, but sometimes Toad comes along."

"Alvers? Lance 'I-Hate-Summers' Alvers?"

"Yeah."

"But why? He hates Summers."

"Because hate him or not, Lance Alvers understands one thing that you fail to grasp; that young man over there saved us all by killing the woman he loved; the one person he cared more for then anyone else on the planet. If that doesn't deserve some sort of respect, then I don't know what does." Magneto says, obviously irritated.

Pietro sits back, too stunned by his father's outburst to speak.

"Since it happened, he's been coming here to get drunk and pick fights. At first, some of the X-Men tried keeping an eye on him, but he got really nasty with them; so Professor Xavier gave dad a call, and asked him if he could help." Wanda says.

"And I did; gladly. Charles wanted someone watching out for Summers, and figured that someone he wasn't likely to expect to see, would be best. But seeing as I'm not always in town, I recruited Wanda to help." Magneto says.

"So, for the last year, whenever you guys would just go out, out of the blue, without saying where you were going; you were coming here?" Pietro asks.

"Most of the time, yeah." Wanda replies.

The three of them sit there in silence, sipping their drinks, lost in thought; much like the man across the bar is at the moment.

_**

* * *

11 MONTHS AGO**_

"_Just stick to the plan, people!" I yell. "We can do this if we just stick to the plan!"_

_Kurt teleports next to me. "Cyclops, Magneto and the Professor are down! She made sure to take them out first!" he yells to be heard over all the noise._

"_Dammit!" I look around for inspiration, and it hits me, in the form of Laura. "X! Come here!"_

_She runs over to my side, dodging debris along the way._

"_The Professor and Magneto are down; I'm going to need you to do it! I hate to ask this of you, but it needs to be done!"_

_A simple nod is all she gives me; never one to waste words._

_I look around, and spot Peter, Kitty, and Fred nearby. Signaling them to gather around, I formulate my plan. "Alright people, here's the new plan; protect X! Blob, you take the lead, Colossus and X will help you move forward! I'll take down anything that comes our way, while Shadowcat stands ready to phase us if need be! Nightcrawler, you get back to Forge and get the device; be ready to teleport in on my signal!"_

_I watch as members of the X-Men and the Brotherhood reconfigure for the attack. Fred plants his feet, while Laura, Peter, Kitty, and myself stand behind him._

"_Ready?" Fred shouts over his shoulder._

"_Go! Go! Go!" I yell._

_Fred starts to move forward, Peter and Laura pushing him along to help battle the resistance. I keep peeking out to blast any bits of debris coming our way._

_Eventually Fred yells, "I can't get any closer! There's too much resistance!"_

_I look out at our target. _'Twenty feet; Pete can make that throw easily.'_ I think._

"_Okay! X get ready; Colossus, I need a fastball special!" I tell them. No one speaks; they understand what it is I'm asking them to do. I grab my communicator and shout into it, "Nightcrawler, are you ready?"_

"_I'm ready!" he yells back._

"_Okay, on my mark...and get yourself out of there right away, we've got a living missile headed that direction."_

"_Okay!"_

_I lock eyes with Peter, who is holding Laura in his arms. "Mark!" I shout; and then several things happen at the same time._

_I step out from behind Fred, unleashing a blast to clear a path to our target, while Peter steps out behind me. As he starts to throw Laura, the ground under Fred lifts, knocking him off balance, and back onto Kitty; who screams._

"_Katya!" Peter yells, releasing Laura too early, sending her sailing off target. Then the ground all around me explodes, sending Peter, Fred, and Kitty flying backwards. At that very moment, Kurt teleports above the target, places Forge's device on her head, and teleports away._

_With a scream, Jean clutches her head and drops to the ground. I'm at her side in seconds. "Jean?" I ask, dropping to my knees and lifting her into my lap._

"_Scott?" she replies, looking at me._

"_It's okay, sweetie, Forge's device is working; you're free."_

"_No, I'm not, Scott. Finish it please." she says as she starts to cry._

"_No, Jean, we'll beat this; we'll free you."_

"_You can't, Scott; it's a part of me. As long as I live, the Phoenix will find a way to control my body. You have to kill me, so that it can't use me to do anymore horrible things."_

"_But the device..."_

"_Is failing; I can feel the Phoenix fighting it. The device is about to overload; there isn't much time."_

_Now it's my turn to cry. "I can't, Jean. I'm not strong enough."_

"_Yes you are, Scott; you're the strongest person I know." she reaches up and strokes my cheek. "I love you, Scott."_

"_I love you too, Jean." I manage to choke out through the tears, as I realize what has to happen, and can't bring myself to stop it._

"_Let me see your eyes, Scott; I've always wanted to see your eyes." she lifts my visor off my head, as I close my eyes tightly. "Please, Scott; just open your eyes for me." I can feel her lips press against mine, and I try to memorize this kiss, our last. I almost will time to stop, so that I can live in this moment forever._

_But, it's not to be. As she breaks the kiss, I can feel the tingle of her telekinesis returning, and know that the Phoenix is about to break free. "Good-bye Scott." she says._

"_Good-bye Jean." I whisper as I open my eyes wide. I get one brief look at Jean's smiling face, before my blasts cut her life short. At this close range, without my visor to regulate them, the beams snap her head back suddenly, shattering her neck, and killing her instantly._

_I'm not really sure what happens next, it's all a little fuzzy, but someone puts my visor back on my head for me, and when someone offers to take Jean, I refuse and carry her lifeless body back to the Blackbird. No one speaks, and several people are crying, but everyone watches me as I march up the ramp, and strap Jean onto one of the beds in the back of the plane. I make my way up to the pilot's chair, and start the engines; tears no longer fall from my eyes, as I no longer seem to be in control of my body._

_Kurt walks up beside me, and looks like he is about to say something, but thinks better of it, and instead sits in the co-pilots seat to help me get ready for take-off. Everyone else either files into the Blackbird or the X-Copter, helping any of the wounded._

_The flight home is done in complete silence, except for the crying, and everyone remains seated when we land; letting me lift Jean up and carry her down the ramp._

_Dr. McCoy is waiting at the bottom of the ramp with a gurney; he would have been out there with us today if he hadn't been injured yesterday, in our first fight with the Phoenix. "Lay her down here, Scott." he says, and I oblige._

_As soon as she slips from my grasp, I turn and walk out of the hanger; no one follows. I make my way down the halls, and glance into the infirmary as I pass by. Logan is still unconscious, but his body looks to be mostly healed. Next to him is Ororo, also unconscious, but in much better shape physically then Logan; two more victims of the Phoenix's first attack._

_I head to the Danger Room, and as soon as the doors close behind me I say, "Engage privacy locks, voice command, Summers 387."_

"_Privacy locks engaged." the computer voice replies._

"_Activate Sentinel attack program epsilon 4...set it for level 10."_

"_Program epsilon 4 is a team program; only one occupant is currently detected."_

"_Override, authorization Summers 5214."_

"_Override accepted."_

_I adjust my visor. "Begin sequence."_

_

* * *

_**Text in Bold = *Telepathic communication***

_Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_


	4. Deck the Halls

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: This story takes place 7 years after the end of the series, and might leave you with some questions as to how certain things came about. I try to address some of them during the story, but I can't explain a whole 7 years in this short amount of time; so if you have any lingering questions, send me a message and I'll explain the reasoning behind my decisions. This story is intended to be a holiday story, but it does branch out from time to time. The reason for this is that I might want to use this story as a platform for another, so I need to set some roots down. This story is mostly written from Cyclops' P.O.V. but also has some snippets about other characters too. Please read and review.

**Secret Santa**

Chapter.3.

Deck the Halls

I slam down my glass. "Another." I say to no one in particular. I've lost count of how many that makes now, but the bar is almost full; so it's definitely a lot.

"Comin' right up, Shades." the waitress says, placing another drink in front of me. "You okay there, honey? Maybe you should stop."

"Nope. I'm not done yet; I can still remember." I reply with slurred speech.

"You're gonna kill yourself if you keep this up." she says.

"Maybe...then at least I wouldn't have to remember."

She walks away, shaking her head.

"Maybe you should listen to the lady." a man sitting at a table nearby says. "You look like you've had enough for one night."

"Why don't you mind your own damn business?" I retort.

"Hey buddy, I'm just trying to help; you wanna die of alcohol poisoning, be my guest."

I look at his table closely; four men, all bigger and taller than me. I pick up my drink, and down the contents in one gulp, and then I stand up; or should I say, try to stand up. I fall into the guy who was talking to me, knocking him off his chair.

His three friends shoot to their feet immediately. "Oops, sorry." I say as I steady myself with the back of his chair.

"Bullshit, you did that on purpose." the guy says as he stands up.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What are you gonna do about it?"

Two of his friends have made their way to either side of me, and now grab my arms. "Hey! None of that in here!" the bartender shouts, waving around a shotgun that he keeps hidden behind the bar. "Take it outside!" And we do; or should I say, they do, as they drag me out the front door and throw me to the ground. I stagger to my feet, and brush off the snow and ice.

"You know, normally I'd feel bad about beating up a drunk, but not tonight." the guy says.

"That's funny, I never feel bad when I beat up four losers." I say, backing up into the parking lot so I have more space.

One of the other guys says, "He must really be drunk if he thinks he could take us all on." The other three guys start to laugh.

"I'm sober enough to kick all your sorry asses."

That stops the laughter. "Fine, have it your way." the first guy says, as they spread out in a circle around me.

_**

* * *

BACK IN THE BAR**_

Pietro turns back from the window and asks, "Are we going to do something, or just let him get the shit kicked out of him?"

"Pietro, language." Magneto says.

"Sorry." Pietro replies, rolling his eyes.

"We'll _'do something'_ if things get out of hand." Wanda says, watching the scene through the window.

"It looks like it already has gotten out of hand; he's trying to take on four guys, while he's drunk." Pietro says, looking back out the window.

"That's nothing. One time, when I was here with Lance, he picked a fight with a group of bikers; must have been around ten of them. Without using his powers once, he took them all out. Sure he got beat up pretty badly, but he never lost control; not once." Wanda says, without looking away from the scene outside. "It was amazing; I've never seen anyone do anything like that."

Pietro turns to look at his sister with his eyebrow cocked. "You have a thing for him, don't you?"

"What?" Wanda says, turning to look at him, her cheeks flushed. "I do not."

A smirk appears of Pietro's face. "Oh, you so do; you're blushing."

Wanda glances at her father quickly, to see that he is engrossed in a conversation with the waitress, before leaning across the table. "Okay, I admit that I think he's kind of cute, and watching him kick ass is hot, but I do not have a thing for him; I'm a one man kind of woman, and I've already chosen my man."

The two of them turn back to the window and watch as the four men approach Scott at the same time.

_**

* * *

20 MINUTES LATER**_

'_Well, that was fun.'_ I think to myself as I limp to my car. _'Damn ice; now I probably have a sprained ankle.'_ I lean against my car, and watch as two of the guys I just fought, help the other two guys into a car, then drive off. I reach up with my left hand; my right arm is hanging uselessly at my side, and wipe my face. _'Broken nose, split lip; nothing too serious.'_ I pull out my phone and dial the Institute.

After two rings I hear Laura answer, "Hello?"

"Hey Laura, can you tell Pete that I called and could use a lift home, thanks."

"Okay." she says before hanging up.

"She's a good girl." I say out loud. "Never a wasted breath."

I climb into my car and start the engine. I turn on the heat, and then climb into the passenger seat.

I probably dozed off, because a knock on my window startles me. I look up to see Peter looking at me from outside. He walks around to the driver's side, and climbs in, after I unlock the door for him. "Scott, are you alright?" he asks.

"Yeah, nothing a good night's sleep won't cure."

"I am thinking, that maybe you should go to a hospital."

"Nah, Tabby's been working with Hank for years now, she knows the machines good enough to give me a once over and see if anything is broken, or damaged. Worse comes to worse, Laura has experience in field medicine; she can patch me up."

He must see that I'm not going to give in, so he turns around, and starts driving.

When we pull into the garage, he has to help me, because my ankle has swollen up, and I can't walk on my own. Tabby and Laura are waiting for us in the infirmary. Ray must be making sure the students are okay, after having dropped Peter off at the bar.

By the time I leave the infirmary I'm covered in bandages, am using a crutch because my left ankle is wrapped tightly, have two stitches on my lower lip, have had my nose reset by Laura, and have my right arm in a sling because the shoulder was dislocated; Peter had to put it back in place. I would normally be on painkillers, but I've drank too much alcohol tonight to chance it.

Peter helps me to my room, and I fall asleep immediately upon hitting my bed; or maybe I pass out, I can't be sure. Either way, my goal was accomplished; I'm not thinking about Jean.

* * *

Christmas Eve has finally arrived, and the only sign of my little night out, are the two stitches on my lip. Kitty returns, and takes charge of the students, freeing up Peter and I so that we can take care of the final touches in the rec-room.

We lock the door so that none of the students can waltz in and see what we're doing. And what exactly are we doing? We're placing all the presents under the tree; and I mean all the presents, not just the ones for the people who will be here tomorrow. Everything will be out and waiting for when people get home.

About halfway through our work, Kitty pokes her head through the door, literally, and says, "I just finished getting all the students to bed. If you guys need to leave, don't use this door for a while; Tabby and I have a ladder set up right outside."

"Why do you have a ladder set up?" I ask.

"Oh, we're just making some last minute adjustments to the decorations."

"Okay, let us know when you're done."

"Okie-dokie." she says, disappearing back through the door.

I glance up, to make sure she's gone, before turning to Peter and quietly saying, "I really thought you had Kitty's name for gift exchange when you didn't want to trade; I never would have thought you had Rahne's name."

"Truthfully, I tried to trade it to Jamie, but he told me that he and Rahne had already decided to cooperate and get Sam and Ray the tickets. He asked me to keep it, and make a painting for her, to show her how beautiful she truly is." Peter says. "You do know that she has had self esteem issues since the Phoenix attack?"

"She has?"

"Yes. During the second battle, she took a full blast from the Phoenix while in the process of transforming, and has been stuck in the middle since. She can no longer turn completely human or wolf; she is a hybrid of sorts. Well this has caused her a lot of distress, as she feels that she is a monster now. She does not believe that she is beautiful, but Jamie does, and wanted her to understand that."

"Wow, I had no clue the transformation was bothering her that much. Why didn't she come to me and talk about this?"

"It has been hard to talk to you since Jean died, Scott." Peter says, making me realize just how much her death not only affected me, but my relationships too. "Why did you think I had Katya?"

"Because you didn't want to trade." I reply as I place a rather large present for Jubes under the tree.

"Why would I not want to trade, Katya?"

"Because you like her; romantically, I mean."

"What? I do not." Peter says, stopping what he is doing to look at me.

"You don't?" I say, stopping also to look Peter in the eye.

"No, Katya is only my friend; perhaps my best friend."

"But everyone thinks..."

"...that because we spend so much time together, it is because of attraction, rather than friendship? Dah?"

"I guess so; yeah."

Peter starts to laugh as we continue to pile presents under the tree. "Well, they are all wrong; Katya is nothing more than a friend." He glances at the door, almost to make sure Kitty isn't there, before leaning in and whispering, "There are some things a woman will not tell a guy, even if he is a friend; but I think Katya only has eyes for one man."

"You better not be trying to tell me that she's thinking of trying to rekindle things with Alvers; I know the Brotherhood is mostly reformed, but Alvers is still bad news. And I don't think Wanda would take too kindly to Kitty trying to steal her man."

Again, Peter laughs. "No, I am thinking that that bridge has been burned; she has no more interest for Lance."

"Good. Now as long as she doesn't get involved in some sort of love triangle, we'll be good; I don't want to have to deal with that kind of drama."

We continue to talk while we place the last of the presents, and Peter exits through the kitchen when we're done. I sit down on the couch and watch the fire, enjoying these few rare moments of peace and quiet.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up to find the fire extinguished, and a blanket on top of me. I look at my watch and see that it's already 6:00am. _'The students will be up soon; I should get breakfast started.'_ I think to myself, as I get up and head to the kitchen.

I find Laura there, already working on breakfast. "Morning Laura."

She glances over her shoulder and nods, before returning her attention back to the food.

I walk over and start to help her out.

Sure enough, just as we finish, through the doors come the four students, followed closely by a tired looking Peter and Kitty. Kitty immediately pours herself a cup of coffee, and sits down at the table, while Peter starts placing the food on the table.

Once everyone is seated and eating, I take my seat and say, "Good morning, kids."

I'm greeted by a round of _'Good morning, Professor Summers.'_ They have started calling me that since they found out about me replacing Professor Xavier for a while. Illyana explained to me that if I was going to be the Headmaster, then they needed to start addressing me as such; I gave up trying to get them to stop after that.

"Did you all sleep well?" I ask.

My response is a bunch of muffled yeses, as they are too busy trying to inhale their breakfast so that they can go and open presents. I glance over at Peter and Kitty to see them shaking their heads. "They were up most of the night." Laura whispers to me from her place to my left. "Too excited about the presents."

I sip at my coffee, resigning myself to eating a proper breakfast after everyone has opened their presents.

Almost as one, the four students finish eating and stand up, putting their plates in the dishwasher. Peter, Kitty, and I take the opportunity to head into the rec-room before they get there and make a mess. I sit on the couch I had fallen asleep on earlier, and am joined by Kitty. Peter takes a chair across from us, while Ray and Tabby come in and sit on the other couch.

I don't even have time to take another sip of my coffee before the students run in, laughing, and seat themselves around the room. Illyana sits in Peter's lap, Megan sits beside Kitty, and Victor and Santo sit on the floor in between Tabby's couch and the tree.

The room suddenly goes quiet, and I can feel everyone starring at me. "What?" I ask.

"Ah, Scott, usually the Professor hands out the presents on Christmas day." Kitty leans in to say. "And since you're taking his place..." she tilts her head to the tree.

"Wait; you guys want me to hand out the presents?"

"Well it has become, kind of, a tradition here these last five or six years." Ray says.

"Okay, fine." I say, placing my coffee on the table and walking over to the tree.

"Ah, Scott?" Kitty says, and I turn around to see her waving a Santa hat at me.

"You've got to be kidding me?"

"Oh, come on, the Professor wears it every year." she says, tossing me the hat. "Besides, I bet you'll look cute in it."

I put the hat on, certain that I look ridiculous, and sit down on the floor, next to the tree, so that I can hand out the students' presents; while Kitty pulls out her camcorder and starts filming.

* * *

Sometime later, just as the students are opening up the last of their presents, Remy and Anna walk in. Upon seeing me sitting there with a Santa hat on, Anna covers her mouth to try to stop the laughter, and Remy says, "Well, Papa Noel, be lookin' different this year."

"Stow it, Remy." I say giving him a dirty look. "And Merry Christmas, you two; how was the trip?"

Anna stops laughing long enough to say, "It was naice. Ah finally got ta meet the swamp rats family, without there being a kipnappin' or death threat involved."

"Oui, it has been a slow year fo' Remy's family." Remy says as he walks through the rec-room and into the kitchen.

The students, now finished, collect their things and head up to their rooms, thanking us all as they leave. I take one more look at all the presents still under the tree, before returning to my seat next to Kitty.

Once again, the room falls silent, and I find everyone starring at me. "What now?"

"Um..." Kitty says, tilting her head back to the tree. "What about us?"

I start to laugh as I look around the room, but seeing only straight faces makes me stop. "You're serious? How old are you guys anyways?" I ask as I return to my place next to the tree. "I mean, the students, I understand, but Tabby's the youngest one here, and she's twenty-two."

"Ah, that's twenty-two and a half; please get it right." Tabby says, as her, Kitty, Anna, and Ray all join me on the floor near the tree, like children; I try not to laugh, but fail. "It's the holidays, Scottie; everyone likes to feel like a kid once and a while; and this is the perfect time of year for it."

"Alright; just this one time." I say as I reach over for a present. I glance over and see Remy walking in from the kitchen, carrying a bottle of champagne, and two glasses, followed by Laura, carrying a try with six more glasses. "Isn't it a little early to be drinking?"

"Ain't never too early, mon ami." Remy replies.

I just shake my head, and start handing out the presents.

* * *

"Oh, Bobby asked me to give you this." I say as I hand Remy a box. "He was your Secret Santa."

"Pour moi? Qu'est-ce que la boule de neige m'acheter?" (1) Remy says, as he removes the wrapping paper, revealing a nice wooden box. He opens it up, and starts to laugh. "Dat homme, got a sense 'a humor." he says, tilting the box so that we can see that it contains a very nice poker set; with several extra decks of cards stuffed in it.

"Well, if we're all done here, I'm going to go _'eat'_ breakfast." I say standing up.

"I'll join you." Kitty says, jumping to her feet. "But first, can you help me bring this stuff upstairs?" she asks indicating the door to the hall with a tilt of her head.

"I'll help you, Kitty; I gotta go upstairs anyways." Ray says. "Oww!"

I turn to Ray and ask, "You okay Ray?"

He rubs his left arm, glaring at Tabby, and replies, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright." I say turning back to Kitty. "I'll heat up a plate for you, so it'll be ready by the time you get down." As I turn towards the kitchen, I ask, "Anyone else want something?" When I get no reply, I walk into the kitchen.

_**

* * *

BACK IN THE REC-ROOM**_

Once the door closes behind Scott, Ray turns to Tabby and asks, "Why'd you pinch me? That hurt."

"Because you are completely clueless." she says, storming out.

He turns back to the room and asks, "What did I do?"

Rogue looks just as confused as he feels, but Remy and Peter are looking anywhere but at him. "Nothing, Ray." Kitty says, handing him some things to carry. "Can you carry these for me; thanks."

"Sure." he replies, as he follows her to her room; wondering, just what people aren't telling him.

After dropping off Kitty's stuff, he heads to his room to get his Secret Santa present, before heading to Tabby's room. He hides the present behind his back as he walks is, her door is already open, and says, "Hey Tabby, you in here?"

"Yeah." she replies.

He finds her sitting on her bed, listening to music playing on her laptop. "So, you wanna tell me what's going on?" he asks, sitting at the foot of her bed.

"No."

"Well, how am I supposed to know if you won't tell me?"

"God! Why are men so clueless? I mean, Petie and Gambit figured it out for themselves; why can't you?"

"Figured what out? Why don't you tell me what it is, and I'll let you know if I already knew?" he says with a smile.

"Oh no you don't; you're not going to trick me into telling you." she smiles back.

"I knew you were too smart to fall for that...and pretty, did I mention pretty."

She moves over to sit next to him. "No you didn't, actually; but flattery won't get you the answer, either."

"What will it get me?"

"Why don't you keep it up and find out."

"Or, I could just give you this." he says, handing her the present. "Merry Christmas, babe; I'm your Secret Santa."

"I was wondering why I didn't get a present from you yet; but I thought, maybe you bought me something that you didn't want anyone to see." She opens the present and says, "Wow, you bought me tickets to the Lila Cheney concert; I love her." She then realizes that there is only one ticket. "I mean, you bought me one ticket to the Lila Cheney concert; why only one ticket? Am I supposed to go alone?"

"No, and I bought two tickets." he says, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a second ticket. "This one is mine; I'm going with you."

"Oh." she says. "But you hate Lila Cheney; you always make fun of her whenever I listen to her."

"True; I do hate Lila Cheney..." he says, leaning in closer, and giving her a quick kiss. "...but I love you."

"Ray, I..." Tabby begins to say, but Ray interrupts her.

"Look, babe, I know we both said that we don't want anything serious, _'let's just have fun while we're young'_ we've said time and time again; but I'm over that now. I'm done with our casual, no strings attached, feel free to see other people, relationship; I want something more, something serious. I want you to know that you're the only woman for me, and I want to know that you feel the same way about me."

He can see that she's starting to cry, and guesses wrong as to why. "I guess the feelings not mutual." he says as he gets up and places his ticket on the bed.

As he gets near the door, one of Tabby's explosives blows-up and slams the door closed. He turns around to see her walking towards him. "God, you are so incredibly clueless...and yet, I love you too."

"Wait, what?" he asks as she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him. "But you were crying."

"Tears of joy, lug nut; learn to tell the difference." She says, pulling him back to her bed.

"So, does this mean, you feel the same way?"

"God! What more do I have to do to make you understand? Yes, I feel the same way." This time he kisses her. "I don't even care about the tickets; this is the greatest Christmas present ever."

"Wait, you don't like the tickets?"

She laughs. "Clueless, completely clueless. Now stop talking, you're ruining the mood."

**

* * *

Text in Bold = *Telepathic communication***

_Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_

(1) – "For me? What did the snowball buy me?" I figured that since this is the only time Gambit speaks in French sentences, that I would actually translate it.


	5. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clops

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: This story takes place 7 years after the end of the series, and might leave you with some questions as to how certain things came about. I try to address some of them during the story, but I can't explain a whole 7 years in this short amount of time; so if you have any lingering questions, send me a message and I'll explain the reasoning behind my decisions. This story is intended to be a holiday story, but it does branch out from time to time. The reason for this is that I might want to use this story as a platform for another, so I need to set some roots down. This story is mostly written from Cyclops' P.O.V. but also has some snippets about other characters too. Please read and review.

**Secret Santa**

Chapter.4.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clops

_**IN THE KITCHEN**_

Kitty walks in and sits down next to me, where I have a plate warmed up and ready for her. "Thanks, Scott." She says.

"No problem, Kitty." I say, after swallowing a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "So, we didn't get to talk much since you got back; how was your trip home? Did you have a nice Chanukah?"

"It was so nice to go home and see my family; I really missed them. University and my duties to the X-Men have kept me so busy that I haven't been home in two years." She says.

"Well, at least University is over now, and if you ever want time to go visit, just ask; your family is more important than your duty to the X-Men."

"Thanks." She says with a smile. "I appreciate that."

"Well, it's true; life is short. We need to spend as much time with our loved ones as we can while they're still here." I immediately start to think about Jean as I say that.

Kitty, obviously knows where my mind is wandering, tries to change the subject. "Chanukah was nice. My sister came down with her husband and daughter; so, naturally, my mom starts pestering me about my personal life. _'So, is there anyone special in your life? School's over, what are you waiting for? You're not getting any younger.'_ Like, I need to hear that." Kitty says. "I think if I'm not married before I turn 25, she's going to die of a heart attack."

"Well, you better get a move on; you have less than two years left." I say, as I stand up and pick up my plate.

"Oh my God, you're right. I'm going to be 25 in less than two years; eww."

I finish putting my plate in the dishwasher, stand up and say, "Thanks Kitty, that makes me feel good about being 25."

She walks over and places her plate in the dishwasher too. "I didn't mean it like that, Scott. Men age better than women; I mean you're even hotter now then when I first met you. But I have to compete with society constantly promoting women that are younger than me, as the new hot thing. It makes me realize that I'm further and further away from _'what's hot'_, and my possibilities for finding _'Mr. Right'_ keep getting slimmer every year."

"That's not true, Kitty. You're very pretty, and Mr. Right is out there; you'll see."

"It is true, Scott. I've noticed things changing the older I get. When I graduated high-school, and Lance and I broke up, I decided to focus on university; but I was still asked out a lot, and even went on a few dates. But as the years went by, less and less men asked me out." She turns to me, and asks, "Do you know when the last date I went on was?"

"June 15th of this past year." I reply.

"Ah, yeah. How did you…"

"Guy's name was Andre; wanted everyone to call him Dre." I sit back down, with a fresh cup of coffee.

She joins me, and asks, "How do you remember these things?"

"I don't know; I just do." I say, lifting my mug to my lips. "It's a curse." I mumble before taking a sip.

Kitty opens her mouth to say something, but a scream followed by a crash interrupts her. We are both on out feet, and in the rec-room in seconds; my hands on my glasses, ready for a fight. What I see makes me freeze in place.

Peter's chair has been knocked over backwards, and Remy and him are trying to untangle themselves from each other, while Rogue is across the room, hovering a foot in the air, her hands covering her mouth, and tears in her eyes.

"What happened here?" I ask.

Remy, having untangled himself, stands up, dusts himself off, and says, "Nothin', mon ami. Remy was jus' givin' his Chere her Secret Santa present, and she got a lil' startled, knockin' him back into Peter over there." He indicates Peter, who is righting the chair.

"A little startled? I've never heard Anna scream like that, and I've known her for almost 8 years now." Kitty says. "What could you have given her that startled her like that?"

Kitty and I look over at Anna, when she says, "This." She is holding up her left hand, and we can clearly see a ring on her finger.

Kitty lets out a scream that could rival anything little Theresa Cassidy can make, and runs over to Anna so fast, she might have been channeling Quicksilver. "OhmyGodheproposed. RogueI'msohappyforyou." She says so fast, that it takes me a moment to actually understand her. Then she wraps her up in a big hug, before stepping back and looking at the ring.

"Wait, he proposed?" I ask, looking back at Remy.

"Why you sound so surprised, mon ami? Is it so hard to believe that Remy has finally found his soul-mate?" Remy says, with that cocky grin of his.

"Honestly? Yeah." I reply, and laugh at the shocked look on his face. "But, I'm glad to be proven wrong."

As Remy walks over to Anna, he says, "There just be one petite problem; she ain't answered Remy's question yet."

Anna, having settled back on the ground, looks up from the ring that she and Kitty have been starring at, and at Remy. He then gets down on one knee, takes her left hand, and asks, "Anna Marie, will you make dis lonely old swamp rat the happiest man alive, and be my wife?"

"Yes, of course Ah will." She replies, pulling him to his feet, and engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug.

Kitty walks over to me, and wraps her left arm around my waist; so I drape my right arm across her shoulders, giving her a little squeeze. "See, everyone's _'Mr. Right'_ is out there somewhere." I say to her.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" Ray asks, running into the room, followed closely by Tabby.

At the same time, Laura comes bursting through the door to the kitchen, claws at the ready.

"Everything is fine; no one is under attack." I say.

"Everything is better than fine; everything is great." Kitty says. "Anna and Remy are going to get married."

As everyone walks over to congratulate the couple, I notice that Ray doesn't have any pants on, and Tabby is holding her shirt closed with her left hand. _'I guess there are two happy couples here today.'_ I think.

I shake Remy's hand, and kiss the top of Anna's head, and think, _'I wonder what really happened.'_

_**

* * *

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED**_

As soon as Scott, Kitty, and Ray leave, Anna turns to Remy and asks, "Okay, Swamp Rat, what's goin' on here? Spill it."

"What on earth you talkin' 'bout, Chere?" Remy asks, walking over to the fireplace to get a fire started.

"You know sumthin' that Ah don't, and Ah wanna know what it is?"

"Chere, dere be plenty of things dat Remy know, dat you don't; just like dere be plenty of things dat you know dat he don't. It's only natural."

"Stop tryin' to talk your way outta this one, Remy. You know what Ah'm talkin' about; there's somethin' goin' on here with Kitty, or maybe Ray, and Ah wanna know what you know about it."

Satisfied that the fire is good, he turns back to face her. "Chere, Remy don't know anythin'."

"Remy?" She says, planting her hands on her hips, and glaring at him.

He holds up his hands in submission. "Remy don't know anythin'; but he be havin' some ideas."

"What ideas?"

"Well, now you know Remy be a card player, and one of the things he knows is how to read people." He states, more then asks. "But even the best card players can be wrong sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah; just spill it."

Remy glances at Peter, who has been sitting there silently this entire time, before turning back to Anna, and saying, "Well Remy thinks dat, maybe, Kitty be havin' feelin's for someone here."

Anna interprets his glance at Peter wrong, and leans in to whisper, "Everyone already knows she lahkes Pete; but Ah don't see what that has to do with Tabby's reaction."

Peter, now standing next to the tree, says, "He is not referring to me."

Anna turns, and is about to say something, but he continues, "I had this discussion with Scott last night. Kitty and I are just friends; nothing more."

"Well if not you, then who? Ray? Is that why Tabby got all upset?" Neither of them answer her, but she notices them both glance in the direction of the kitchen. Then it dawns on her. "Oh…Oh wow. Ah didn't see that comin'."

"None of us did, Chere." Remy says.

"Yes, it came as a bit of a shock to us all." Peter says. "But there you have it; now you know what we all suspect."

Remy gives her a little nudge, and whispers, "Now might be a good time to give him his present, Chere."

"What? Oh yeah, right." Anna replies, as she grabs a present from her bag and hands it to Peter. "Here you go, Sugah; Merry Christmas from yo' Secret Santa."

"Thank you, Anna." Peter says, as he unwraps the package while she looks on. "Wow. An iPod touch; this is too much."

"Nonsense, Sugah; you deserve it for everythin' you do for us all. Ah even got Illyana to help me borrow your CD collection, so that Ah could transfer all your music for ya."

"Thank you again, Anna; this is lovely." He says, as he hugs her.

"No problem, Sugah. It was my pleasure." She replies, as he sits back down in his chair.

"Now it be time for you to open up your Secret Santa gift, Chere." Remy says, holding out a package for her.

"Remy, you Swamp Rat; you already gave me a present at your family's place yesterday." She says, taking it from him.

"Oui. Dat one was from Remy, but dis one be from your Secret Santa; dat they be one and the same, ain't neither here nor there."

She unwraps it to find a small wooden box. Opening the lid, she sees a bunch of cotton filling, and a piece of paper sticking out; almost like the kind you find in fortune cookies. She glances up at Remy, and he says, "You have to read what's written on the paper; but pull it out slowly, as you do."

She grabs the paper with her left hand and gently pulls as she reads the writing. _'My Dearest Anna Marie, the love of my life, from the moment I saw you, I knew you were the only one for me. I tried to deny it to myself, but I couldn't fight it. You captured this old Swamp Rat's heart, and I gladly let you keep it, never asking for anything in return; until now. Now, I want something from you; and what I want can't be bought in a store, or found in nature. What I want is an answer. And what is the question that I want an answer too?'_ She feels the paper resist her pull, so she exerts a little more force, careful not to rip it. Suddenly, the rest of the paper comes out, the end of it attached to something. She hands him the box, and grabs the last bit of paper with both hands. _'Will you marry me?'_ She looks at what the paper is attached to, and sees a diamond ring.

The scream that escapes her lips is like none she has ever uttered before, and in her excitement, she turns around, knocking Remy back into Peter with her arm, toppling the chair in the process.

Seconds later, Scott and Kitty come running in from the kitchen. "What happened here?" Scott asks.

_**

* * *

BACK IN THE PRESENT**_

I notice Laura lingering in the rec-room, while everyone is still caught up in the excitement of the engagement; so I decide to give her, her Secret Santa present.

"Here you go Laura, Merry Christmas."

"What is this?" She asks me, as she takes the package.

"I'm your Secret Santa." I reply.

"Oh. Thank you." She replies, and turns to leave.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

She turns back, and I follow her gaze to the room full of people. "We're all family, Laura. After all this time, I thought you understood that." I whisper.

"I do." She whispers back, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I just don't like large groups." She starts to fiddle with the paper. "They make me nervous."

"Really? I never knew." I say, as I turn back to her. I suddenly realize that this is Laura opening up to me; she's telling me something private. "You know, I used to be afraid of flying?" I say, causing her to look at me.

"But you fly all the time." She says, too shocked by this revelation to be her usual aloof self.

"Yeah, but for years after the plane crash that killed my parents, I was terrified of flying."

"Then, how did you get over it?"

"One day, when I was about 15, I decided that I had had enough with being afraid, and that I had to face my fear head on; so, I took a cab to the local airport, and bought a ticket on the first flight available. It was on this tiny old dual prop engine plane, barely fit 12 people including the pilot; and there were only three other passengers aboard." I look back at everyone still circling around Remy and Anna.

"A few hours later, I called the Professor collect from an airport in Maine, asking him if he could come and get me, because I didn't have enough money to buy a ticket home. He showed up with Logan and Ororo, and I got to take my first flight in the Blackbird." I lean in towards Laura, so that no one else can possibly hear me, and say, "Oh course, Ororo had to hold my hand the whole trip back."

"And after that, you weren't afraid of flying anymore?" She asks.

"No, I still was; but not as much. It took time, but eventually, I got over my fear. However, I think that by facing my fear head-on, like I did, I made it possible."

She looks back at the group of people, and says, "I see." Then she walks back into the room, and sits on one of the couches.

I follow her and sit down next to her, as she start to meticulously unwrap the present.

Once the paper is removed, a leather bound album is revealed. "What is it?" She asks, as she opens the cover.

"It's an album." I explain. "About your life here, with our little family. It's got pictures, and newspaper clippings of all the different things you've been through since you got here."

"What's that?" Kitty asks, as she squeezes herself between me and the armrest, and leans over me to look.

"My present." Laura replies, still starring at the first page; a photo of the entire team, instructors and all. "My family." She whispers, but I manage to hear.

Suddenly, she stands up, placing the book on the coffee table. Fearing that I may have upset her, I stand up and reach for her shoulder. She turns around, with tears in her eyes, hugs me, and says, "Thank you, Scott."

I carefully return the hug, not sure about this sudden show of emotion from her, and reply, "You're welcome, Laura."

I notice that the room has gone silent once again, and everyone is starring at us.

Laura releases me from the hug, walks over to the tree, and retrieves a present. She then walks back over to Kitty, and says with a smile, "Merry Christmas, Kitty." Then immediately remembers that Kitty is Jewish, and says, "Sorry, I mean Happy Chanukah."

Kitty is still in shock from seeing Laura in tears, hugging me, that it takes a few seconds for her to respond. "Ah, thanks, Laura." She finally says, as she accepts the gift.

Kitty peels back the paper, and opens the box. She reaches into the tissue paper, and pulls out a wood carving. I then realize that it's a statuette of a woman.

"Wow, Laura, it's beautiful." Kitty says, as she traces it with her fingers. "Hey! It's me."

"Yes." Laura replies, and then she takes her album, sits down in an armchair near the fire, and starts flipping through it.

"Scott, look at this." Kitty says, grabbing my hand and pulling me down on the couch next to her.

"That is beautiful." I say. "Look at all the detail."

"I know." Kitty says to me. "Hey Laura." She calls out, causing Laura to look up from her album. "Where did you get this?"

"In the woods, out back." She replies.

"In the woods? Wait, you mean you made this?"

"Yes, I carved it from a tree branch." Laura replies, and then looks back down at her album.

Kitty turns to me, and whispers, "She carved this? Can you believe it? I never knew she was artistic."

"Neither did I. At least we know a little bit more about her now." I say, still examining the statuette. "She really is quite good."

"Yeah. She even managed to make life-like eyes...oh, she even did little fingernails. How did she carve so precisely?"

I make a fist, and hold it out in front of me. "She's like a surgeon with those things; it's actually quite amazing, really. I think she has even more control with them then Logan."

Kitty giggles, and says, "Better not let him hear you say that, or he might just try carving you up to prove he's better."

"Yeah, well, he'd have to take time away from the Avengers to do it." I reply, leaning back into the couch, and looking over at Laura. "You know, it's been four months since he last visited? He didn't even call to wish anyone Happy Holidays. And I checked to see if the Avengers have had any major crises lately; but I haven't heard their name in the news in over three weeks."

"I'm sure there is a good reason." Kitty says.

"Yeah. He doesn't want anything to do with us anymore." I say. "Ever since Jean's death, it seems like he wants nothing to do with us. He handed over all his instructor duties, joined the Avengers, and has barely contacted us since."

"I don't think that..." Kitty starts to say, but I interrupt her.

"No, no, no. Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to be mean. I'm merely saying what I think. I can actually understand him doing this; really, I can. There are enough of us here to take over his classes, and he doesn't have to worry about losing control in front of any kids with the Avengers. It makes sense for him to move on. It's the lack of contact since he left, that bothers me. I mean, he was always like an uncle to all of us, and not seeing or hearing from him for so long, just kind of...hurts, I guess."

"Yeah." Kitty says, leaning back and slightly to the side, against me.

We sit there in silence, Kitty starring at the statuette, me watching the room.

Ray finally realizes that he's not wearing any pants, and leaves quickly, making everyone laugh. Then Tabby, having buttoned up her shirt, badly, makes a fake excuse about having left Amara waiting on the phone, and chases after Ray.

Peter decides to go check on the students, while Remy and Anna grab their bags, and head upstairs to put them away.

Eventually, Laura closes the album, and heads upstairs; leaving me and Kitty alone.

"So, what did you get from your Secret Santa?" Kitty asks.

"Nothing yet. I guess Anna will give it to me later." I reply.

She tilts her head to look at me. "What makes you think that Anna is your Secret Santa?"

"Well..." I say sheepishly. "The day we picked names, Kurt, Bobby, and I were discussing it, and kind of figured out who had who."

"Really?"

I then go into the whole process, explaining how we came to the conclusion that Anna had picked me. "So there you have it."

"Well, I hate to throw a wrench into your little _'theory'_, but Anna doesn't have you; she has Peter."

"She has Pete?"

"Yep. Bought him an iPod, I believe."

"Hunh. Then who has me?" I start ticking names off in my head.

"Who indeed?" Kitty says, standing up and walking over to the doorway leading into the hall.

Suddenly, it hits me; Kitty. "You. You're my Secret Santa." I say, standing up.

"Took you long enough." She says, with a giggle.

I slowly start walking over to her. "So, what did you get me?"

"Impatient, all of a sudden, are we?" She teases.

"Oh, come on, Kitty; you're the one who brought it up." I say, coming to a stop right in front of her, so that we're standing directly in the doorway, facing each other.

"Well, your gift is kind of a two-parter." She says, pulling out an envelope from her back pocket.

I reach for the envelope, but my hand passes right through it as Kitty phases it. "Very funny, Kitty."

"You have to let me finish first, and then you get it." She says. "Like I was saying, it's kind of a two-parter. The first part is in this envelope, and you need to follow the instructions, or you don't get the second part of the gift. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I reply. "I will follow the instructions to the letter."

"Good boy. Here you go, Merry Christmas Scott." Kitty says, handing me the envelope.

I take it and open it, removing a card from it. The cover of the card is a picture of the New York Metropolitan Opera; or The Met, as most people call it. I open the card, and catch a slip of paper that was inside before it falls. I read the card, and see that it's not a card, but an invitation to the New Year's Eve performance of _La Traviata_. Confused, I look at Kitty, but she says, "Read the paper."

I open the slip of paper, and see Kitty's writing; I know it's hers because she's the only person I know who actually writes neater then me. I read the paper, which has instructions on how to get to The Met, what to wear, and even the confirmation of a car rental for the day. Still not sure I understand the gift, I ask, "I don't get it, Kitty."

"Just follow the instructions, Scott; it'll all make sense when you get the second part of the gift." She replies.

"Okay. I trust you, Kitty; and thanks. Tickets to this show are impossible to find; how did you get it?"

She smiles. "Oh, I have my ways."

"Well, thanks, again. I've always wanted to see a show at The Met." I say, as I hug her.

"You're welcome." She replies, keeping her hands on my arms after the hug. "One more thing." She says, looking up.

"What?" I ask, following her gaze, but not sure what she's looking at. "What are you looking at?"

"That." She says, pointing to a small twig hanging from the doorjamb, that wasn't there yesterday.

"What's that?"

"Mistletoe." She replies, causing me to look down. Her hands slide up to my shoulders, and she stands on her toes, bringing her closer to my height. She places the softest kiss on my lips, and, instinctively, I kiss back just as softly. When we break the kiss, I hear someone gasp. I look over to see Illyana and Megan standing at the bottom of the stairs, with their mouths open.

"I better go." Kitty says. I look back to see her blushing face disappear, as she phases through the floor.

"Ah." Is all I manager to get out.

"Oh my God! Professor Summers and Miss Kitty!" Megan says. "Quick, Illyana, we need to go tell everybody." They take off running, back upstairs.

"Wait!" I call out after them. "It's not like that." But it's too late, they're both gone, and by lunch, the whole Institute is going to think something is going on between Kitty and I. _'Damn. Well this is just great.'_ I think, as I walk to my office, hoping to hide from all the questions I know are going to be directed my way.

I sit behind my desk, and place the gift in my top drawer. I lean back, looking out my window at the snow falling, and let my mind wander. I start to wonder about the gift, and what could possibly be the second part; but soon, my mind drifts back to the kiss with Kitty.

While unexpected, I have to admit, that it was pleasant; but know that it meant nothing, it was simply a kiss under the mistletoe. _'Wait a minute. How did the mistletoe get there? I didn't put it up when I put up the decorations.'_ I think back to Christmas Eve, and remember Kitty saying that she and Tabby had a ladder set up and were making last minute adjustments to the decorations. _'She didn't plan it; did she? No. It must have been Tabby's idea; her way of having a little fun with a Christmas tradition. Or was it? No. Get it together Scott; Kitty couldn't have planned on getting you under the mistletoe. Or did she?'_

**

* * *

Text in Bold = *Telepathic communication***

_Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_


	6. New Year's Eve Surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: This story takes place 7 years after the end of the series, and might leave you with some questions as to how certain things came about. I try to address some of them during the story, but I can't explain a whole 7 years in this short amount of time; so if you have any lingering questions, send me a message and I'll explain the reasoning behind my decisions. This story is intended to be a holiday story, but it does branch out from time to time. The reason for this is that I might want to use this story as a platform for another, so I need to set some roots down. This story is mostly written from Cyclops' P.O.V. but also has some snippets about other characters too. Please read and review.

**Secret Santa**

Chapter.5.

New Year's Eve Surprise

I try to corner Kitty, and ask her about the gift, and the kiss, but can't seem to find her alone; and the looks I'm getting from everyone aren't helping. Like I had suspected, everyone that was home that day, knew about the kiss by lunch time, and had heard of an exaggerated make-out session between Kitty and I. The adults are simple enough to convince that it was an innocent kiss under the mistletoe; although, even though I know she believes me, Tabby teases me about it every chance she gets.

The students, on the other hand, are more prone to believe the exaggerated tale told by Megan and Illyana; so I give up on them. Might as well let them think whatever they want; the more I try to convince them otherwise, the more likely they'll believe I'm trying to cover it up.

Slowly, some people return from their holiday trips, and the Institute starts to get back to its regular routine.

I, on the other hand, actually have some work to do. Kitty's instructions say that I need to wear a tux to the show, but the one I have is actually a little too tight, and the pants are too short. _'How the hell am I still growing?'_ I think, as I pull up a search of tuxedo rental places in Bayville.

I start making calls, but am unable to find any place that has anything available for New Year's Eve. I widen my search, even thinking of maybe hitting New York City if I have too; but again, nothing available this close to New Year's.

I'm sitting in my office, a little worried that it's December 29th, and I still don't have a tux, when my phone rings. "Hello, Scott Summers." I answer.

"Hello Scott, it's Warren. How are you?"

"Hey Warren; I'm good. How about you?" I ask.

"Not bad." He replies. "So, I heard a rumor…"

"Oh my God! Are they calling everyone we know now?" I interrupt him, with a sigh. "Look, Warren, it was an innocent kiss under the mistletoe; nothing more. I don't know what anyone told you, but Kitty and I were not 'playing tonsil hockey'. Gez, what next? Am I going to get a call from Lance?"

"Ah. That's great, but that's not why I'm calling." Warren says.

"Then why are you calling?"

"Well, I heard a rumor that you were going to The Met on New Year's, and that you might be looking for a new tuxedo."

"How did you know about that?" I ask, my curiosity peaked.

"A little birdie told me."

"More like a Kitty."

"Anyways, I can help you my friend. I happen to know a few places that you can still get a tuxedo, even this close to New Year's. If you're interested, that is?"

"I'm interested, Warren. And thanks." I reply, realizing that this is probably my last, and only option.

"Great. Put your coat on, and let's go." Warren says, opening the door to my office and stepping in. He hangs up his cell phone, and looks at his watch. "Well, come on. Time's a-wasting."

* * *

Warren drives us to the airport, and we board his private jet; but he refuses to tell me where we're going.

Once we are airborne, he leans back, and says, "Better get comfortable, it's going to be a long ride."

"How long?" I ask.

"Oh, about seven to eight hours."

"Seven to eight hours? Where the hell are we going?"

"Paris." Warren replies, casually. "I have a friend there who's going to get you a tux."

"Paris? You don't have any friends in New York, or anywhere else in the States?"

"Well yeah, but Christian is the best."

"Who's Christian?"

"Christian Lacroix." Warren replies, but when he sees that I don't recognize the name, he says, "He's only 'the' top French fashion designer in the world."

"Ok. But why him?"

"Because he's the best; weren't you listening." Warren reclines his chair even more, and closes his eyes. "Just sit back and relax, Scott. In less than eight hours, we'll be in Paris, and we'll get you the perfect tux."

I figure that there is no point in arguing, so I sit there in silence, trying to figure out what is going on.

_**

* * *

Twenty-four hours later**_

I find myself back at the Institute; custom made Christian Lacroix tuxedo, accessories and all, hanging in my closet.

I head down to the kitchen, planning to grab some supper and head to my office, but upon seeing Warren sitting at the table, decide to join everyone.

"Oh, hey Scott." Kitty greets me, as I sit down at my usual place. "How was your shopping trip?"

Everyone immediately looks at me. "Shoppin' trip?" Rogue asks.

"It was nothing, really." Warren answers. "I simply brought Scott to Paris so that he could get a new tuxedo for the show tomorrow."

"What show tomorrow?" Tabby asks, with a smile that tells me she already knows the answer.

"Kitty got me a ticket to see _La Traviata_ at The Met, for Christmas." I reply.

"Just one ticket?" Tabby asks, looking at Kitty.

"Well, seeing how hard they are to get, and that they're pretty expensive; one is more than enough." I reply. "Besides, what would I have done with two tickets? The only person I know who even goes to the opera is Warren; and he actually hates it."

"Oh, I'm sure someone...oww." I look up to see Tabby, glaring at Ray. "What'd you do that for?"

"Ah...because you forgot that thing, in your room." Ray says. "You know; you left that thing on, and we should go turn it off."

"Smooth." Warren says, laughing.

Before the conversation can continue, a BAMF is heard, and Kurt appears.

"Kurt!" Everyone calls out, and people get up to greet him.

"Where's Amanda?" Tabby asks.

"She's visiting her parents; telling them all about our trip." Kurt replies. "She'll be over later. So, what did I miss?"

"Why don't you sit down here, next to Auntie Tabby, and she'll tell you a little tale about a stud, a cat, and some mistletoe." Tabby says, patting the chair next to her.

Everyone starts to laugh, and I drop my head into my hands. _'This is never going to end.'_ I think to myself, as Tabby proceeds to tell Kurt an exaggerated version of the kiss.

* * *

I wake up nice and early on New Year's Eve, and go about my usual routine, until after lunch; that's when the doorbell rings, and I head out to see who it is. I'm not the only one who does, as I'm joined by Ray and Victor.

I open the door, to find a young man, not much younger than me actually, standing there with a clipboard. "Hello?" I say.

"Yes, hello; I'm looking for Mr. Summers." He replies, reading the name on the clipboard.

"That would be me." I reply, wondering what's going on.

"Ah, good; I have your car for you, sir." He says, holding up a set of keys.

"Oh right, the car; I forgot about that. Where do I sign?"

"Dude, is that the car?" Ray asks, leaning out the door.

"Yes, that's the one." The man replies, stepping aside and letting me see it. "A '68 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 KR."

"No way! A King of the Road!" Victor shouts, and he runs out with Ray to start examining the car.

"There must be some kind of mistake." I say. "There's no way that Kitty rented this for me; this must cost a fortune."

The guy looks down at the clipboard. "Nope; no mistake. It says right here, '68 Shelby, this address, today at 1:00, Mr. Scott Summers, paid in advance by Ms. Katherine Pryde."

"Dude you have got to let me take it for a spin." Ray says, looking through the driver's side window.

"In your dreams, Ray; and would you two get inside, it's freezing out here. Or at least put something on; like boots." I say, causing them to look down at their bare feet.

They both run past me, Ray to put on his boots, Victor to run around yelling for everyone to come check out the car.

"So, if everything is good here, then please sign here and here, and initial here, here, and here." The guy says, indicating the clipboard.

I take the pen, and provide the necessary notations, before accepting the keys. I watch as the guy walks away and to a waiting car at the front gate.

Ray is soon joined by every other guy that is in the mansion, as they all surround the car.

I turn to head inside, determined to find Kitty and ask her about this.

"Kitty isn't here." Tabby says, popping her bubble gum, and filing her nails.

"Where is she?" I ask.

"Don't know. She got up real early, and took off; didn't even apologize for waking me up so early." Tabby says, walking into the rec-room and sitting down on one of the couches.

I follow her in, but remain standing. "What's going on here, Tabby? You know something, and you're not telling me."

"Oh relax, Scooter; there's nothing sinister going on. All's I know is that Kitty left early, and said she had things to do today."

I turn around to leave, when Tabby asks, "So…can I take her for a ride?"

I just shake my head, and keep walking.

* * *

After a shower and a shave, I get dressed, and head downstairs; making sure to wear the more classy looking glasses that the Professor made for me several years ago. Sure enough, just like I expected, everyone is hanging around the entrance, waiting for me.

After several cat-calls, and some genuine compliments, I manage to grab my coat, and head outside.

"Have fun tonight." Rogue says, from the doorway.

"We won't wait up." Remy says, standing on the porch smoking a cigarette.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm only going to a show; I'll be back before midnight." I reply, opening the car door.

"He just means…" Rogue starts to say, but Remy cuts her off.

"Remy just sayin' that you gonna be in New York City, on New Year's Eve; you may decide to enjoy the sights." Remy says, tossing his cigarette away. "Either way; Bonne Annee, Scott."

I watch as Remy takes Rogue's hand and leads her back inside, closing the door behind him.

I hop into the driver's seat, start the engine, and am rewarded with the powerful vibration of the Cobra Jet V8 engine. I smile to myself, anxious to get on the highway so that I can open her up, and see how she drives.

_'Thank you, Kitty.'_ I think as I put it in first gear, and drive away.

* * *

I arrive at The Met early enough to get myself a good parking spot, and walk around a bit. I've never been to The Met, despite my secret love of opera and musical theatre, and I want to see as much of it as I can before the show starts.

Satisfied, I head up to find my seat, which is on the Parterre level. I find the door leading to Box 15 where my seat is, and see a plague on it; _'General Manager's Box'_.

I double check my ticket, and see that this is the correct box, and am even more confused now. There is an attendant standing next to the door, and he says to me, "May I see your ticket, sir?"

I show him the ticket, and he smiles. "Ah, Mr. Summers, I presume; they are waiting for you inside." He says, opening the door, and indicating for me to go inside.

I walk through the door, and can see two people sitting in their seats, one of them slightly sideways, looking back at the door. "Warren?" I ask.

He presses a button on his cell phone, and pockets it, while standing up to shake my hand. "Hi Scott. Fancy meeting you here."

I shake his hand. "Yeah. Must be a real surprise for you." I say, sarcastically. _'So this is how Kitty got the ticket; she called in a favor from Warren.'_

"Scott, I would like you to meet Candice Southern." Warren says, introducing me to the woman he's with.

"Hello, Candice." I say, shaking her hand.

"Please, call me Candy." She replies, and must see some reaction on my face, because she laughs, and says, "And no, I'm not a stripper."

"But you definitely have the body to be one." Warren says, receiving an elbow in the ribs for that.

I look around the box, and can see eight seats. "So who else is joining us?" I ask. "The show is about to start."

"Peter Gelb, the General Manager, is a personal friend of mine, and loaned me his box for tonight; so the box is all ours." Warren says, spreading his arms out, and glancing back at the door.

I walk up to the edge of the balcony, and look out at the stage. "Wow; what a view." I say.

"If you want to see something really amazing, you should turn around." Warren says.

"What do you mean?" I ask, turning around to look back into the box. What I see, makes my jaw drop, literally; Warren actually reaches over and taps my mouth closed.

"Hey Scott." Kitty says, smiling at me.

"Kitty?" Is all I think to say, as my mind is still trying to catch up to what I see before me.

Kitty is standing there, in a strapless, form fitting blue dress (I only know it's blue because it looks purple to me) that stops at her knees, with long blue gloves that end just above her elbow, and high heels (something she never wears), holding a tiny purse, and a ticket. Her hair is styled up, with one strand of hair spiraling loosely down the side of her face.

She walks up to stand in front of me, and my mind finally catches up. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I told you your gift was a two-parter. Well this is it; a date for the opera." She replies, blushing slightly.

Before I can say anything else, Warren places his hands on our shoulders and says, "The shows about to start. Why don't you two take the seats up front; Candy and I'll be in the third row."

"Why the third row? Just sit behind us." Kitty says.

"He wants to sit in the third row, because he plans on falling asleep, and figures less people can see him back there." Candy says.

"Yeah, what she said." Warren says, with a grin. "Wake me up when it's over."

Warren and Candy go and sit in the two seats at the back of the box, and Kitty sits down in the front row; so I sit down next to her, not able to take my eyes off of her. I am about to say something, when the lights dim, and the music starts.

_**

* * *

Two and a Half Hours Later**_

I had wanted to talk to Kitty during the intermission, but she had quickly gotten up and disappeared to the ladies room with Candy; only to return just as the second half started.

After the applause dies down, and people start to leave, I turn to Kitty, intent on talking to her, but Warren steps up to us and says, "Hey Scott, would you mind giving Candy a lift back to my place; there's someone I need to talk to first, before I leave. You remember where that is, right?"

"Ah, yeah." I reply.

"Great; then I'll see you all there shortly." He says, quickly leaving.

"What does he mean, 'he'll see us all there shortly'?" I ask.

"Well you two are coming up to celebrate New Year's with us." Candy replies. "Warren has invited a few people to a party at his penthouse."

"I appreciate that, but I really need to get back to the Institute."

"It'll be okay, Scott. I already told them that we would be back late; they'll be fine without you for a little while longer." Kitty says.

_'So that's what Remy meant; he already knew about this.'_ I think back to the conversation we had before I left. "Ok then, I guess we're going to Warren's." I say. "After you, ladies."

We head down to the parking garage, where I lead them to the car. I open the passenger side door, and move the seat so that Candy can get in the back. "Sorry, but it wasn't really designed with passenger comfort in mind." I say, as she squeezes into the back seat.

"That's fine; it's actually nice and roomy back here." She replies.

I slide the seat back, and help Kitty into the passenger seat. "Thank you."

I walk around the car, and get in, starting up the engine. "Oh wow; I can feel it back here." Candy says.

I pull out of the spot, and start making my way through the parking garage towards the exit. "This is an interesting choice of car, Kitty; I wouldn't have expected you to rent this car for him." Candy says, leaning forward to talk to Kitty over the sound of the engine echoing in the garage.

"Well I could have gone for a luxury car, but that wouldn't have been much of a present for Scott; he's into muscle cars." Kitty says, smiling at me.

"You got that right; I'll take a Shelby over any luxury car any day of the week." I reply, smiling back. "And thank you for the car; I love it."

_**

* * *

Warren's Apartment**_

Even though he lives only five minutes from The Met, New Year's Eve traffic made it almost a half-hour ride, just to get to his building. We arrive, and the valet takes the car. Candy then leads us to the elevator, and up to Warren's penthouse apartment.

Surprisingly, there are already people there. "Ah good, the party's already started." Candy says. "Give me your coats."

I help Kitty out of hers, before taking mine off, and handing them to Candy. "Go ahead and mingle, I'll come introduce you in a minute." She says, walking away with our coats.

I turn to Kitty, wanting to talk, but she says, "Let's go get a drink." And walks over to the bar.

I follow her, and stand there, as she orders a Blue Hawaiian for herself and a whisky double for me. "Kitty, I shouldn't be drinking, I'm going to be driving later."

"Yeah, like, much later. One drink won't hurt." She replies, handing me my drink. "Cheers." She taps her glass to mine.

"There you are." Warren says, walking up to us.

"How did you get here so fast?" Kitty asks.

"Why drive when you can fly?" Warren replies with a smile. "I'll send someone to pick up my car tomorrow. Have you guys been introduced to anyone yet?"

"No. We just got here." I reply.

"Well then, follow me; I'm about to introduce you to the rich, young power elite of New York City." Warren says, draping his arms over our shoulders and leading us into the party.

* * *

Kitty gets pulled away by Candy at some point during our whirlwind tour of the party, and I lose track of her. After meeting the last guest, Warren's old college roommate Cameron Hodge, I step aside and look around. She's nowhere to be seen, but I can see Candy across the room, so I head over to her.

"Hey Candy, have you seen Kitty?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah; she's out on the balcony." She replies, pointing me towards the balcony.

"Thanks."

I head out onto the balcony and look around; I spot Kitty standing against the rail off to the side. I approach her, thankful that we are finally alone, and I can talk to her. "Hey Kitty."

She turns around to see me approaching her. "Hey Scott." I see her eyes dart around, like she looking for a distraction, or an escape, but I don't plan on letting her find one.

"So, I was hoping that we could talk." I say.

"About what?"

"About all this." I reply. "The ticket, the car, the party. What's going on here, Kitty?"

"What? I just thought you would like it, that's all." She replies, but I've known her long enough to tell when she's lying.

"Kitty? The truth."

"I just…I just wanted you to, like, have a good time." She says, turning to look back out at the city. "This last year hasn't really been the greatest for you, and I wanted it to at least end on a high note."

I lean my back against the rail, next to her, and say, "Ok, I'll buy that, and thank you; but there's more to it than just that. Kitty, all this must have cost a fortune, and I'm not saying that you don't have money, but this would even be a stretch for the Professor."

Kitty looks at me and blushes. "Well, to be honest; I didn't really spend a penny on anything."

"What?"

"Warren was kind enough to hook me up with the tickets, the dress, and the hairstylist, and my uncle owns the car dealership that I 'rented' the car from; so he let me have it for free."

"Oh. Well I don't feel so bad now." I say. "I felt bad that you had spent all this money on me, and didn't feel like I should be enjoying it so much, because of what it cost you."

"So you did enjoy it?"

I can't help the smile that comes across my face. "Hell yeah. I didn't know you knew me so well, Kitty. I thought only Jean and Ororo knew about my interest in the opera. And the car; wow. When I was buying my first car, it actually came down to that exact same Shelby you rented, and my convertible." I look over at her. "Of course both were just scraps of cars, and I would need to rebuild them. I only chose the convertible because it needed less work then the Shelby. Was that a lucky guess, or did you somehow know about the Shelby?"

"There are other people in the mansion who actually pay attention to you, you know?" She says, and then lowers her voice. "Other people who care about you."

I turn sideways to look right at her. "Like you?" I ask.

She actually manages to blush even more, but still looks me in the eye, with a smile, and says, "Yeah, like me."

"So when you said that the second part of my gift was a date, you meant a 'date' date?"

"Yeah; unless that bothers you. Then we can just say it was, like, a friend date." She says, looking at my face for an answer.

But years of living 'blind' have allowed me to develop a pretty good poker face; so I don't let anything show, as I try to process what I just learned.

"Kitty…" I start to say.

While I'm able to keep any signs from showing on my face, I've never quite mastered keeping them out of my voice.

"A friend date it is, then." She says, her smile disappearing, as she looks away from me, and out to the city.

I can see her eyes starting to water up, as she tries to hold back tears, and it breaks my heart to think that I could ever hold such a place in her heart, that I could cause this.

I take of my tuxedo jacket, and place it on her shoulders; it is winter in New York after all, and she must be freezing. Holding her shoulders, I gently turn her away from the city, and make her face me; but she refuses to meet my eyes.

"Look, Kitty, just listen to me…"

"No, it's okay, Scott; it was nothing really. I understand; I really do. I just…I don't know. I mean, we've been friends for years now, and sure, when I first got here, I thought you were, like, totally hot; but Jean made it clear to everyone that, even if you two weren't together, you were off limits. But lately, I've been thinking that I'd like to be, like, more than just friends." The tears start to fall. "But you don't want that, and I'm a big girl; so I'll just deal with it, and I promise nothing will change between us. I'll still be the same old Kitty you knew before tonight, and nothing has to be awkward; I'll just pretend that tonight didn't happen."

When she finally stops talking, I wait a few seconds before saying, "Are you done, now?" She still won't look at me, but nods her head. "Good, now it's my turn to talk, and your turn to listen."

I take a deep breath, trying to figure out what I'm going to say to her, when I realize that I don't really know what I'm going to say; so I decide, for one of the rare occasions in my life, to not plan things through, and just go with the flow.

"Kitty, you need to understand that this is coming as a bit of a shock to me." I say, and then I start to laugh. "Wow, Bobby and Kurt were right; I am pretty clueless when it comes to these things." I look back to see Kitty looking at me, no more tears are falling, but her eyes are still a little wet. "But then again, we were all sure you had a thing for Pete; so I'm not the only one who was clueless about this apparently." That gets a brief giggle and a smile from her. "I just don't know if I'm ready yet; you know? I mean, I know that it's been almost a year since Jean passed, but I just don't know."

"I understand, Scott; and know that I wasn't trying to replace Jean, or make you feel that I wanted something more. I just wanted to, maybe, spend a little more time with you, and see if there was something there." Kitty says.

"I know, Kitty." I say, pulling her into a hug. "And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find you attractive or that I don't enjoy your company. I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but my jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw you tonight."

I can feel her giggle, as she presses her head against my chest. "Yeah, that was kind of the reaction I was going for."

"Well, trust me; that was not fake." I push her at arm's length, and look in her eyes. "You look stunning tonight."

The tears are gone, and the blush is back. "Well you look quite handsome yourself there, Scott." She says, looking down at my vest as her hands tug on the sides.

In that brief moment of silence, I can hear the people inside counting, and I realize that they're counting down to the New Year.

"4...3...2...1..."

I'm not sure why I do it, but I pull Kitty closer to me, lean down and kiss her, just as everyone yells, "Happy New Year!" Then everyone start singing _Auld Lang Syne_. (1)

As the song comes to a close, we finally break the kiss. I watch as Kitty opens her eyes, and looks at me with a smile, before her expression is replaced with a questioning one.

"How about you let me plan our next date, so it doesn't come as such a surprise to one of us?" I say.

"Really? I thought that you said..."She starts to say, but I place a finger on her lips to stop her.

"I know what I said Kitty, but I also know what I'm saying. I'd like the chance to take you out on another date, and see if maybe there is something here."

Her smile is back. "I'd like that too."

I pull her into a hug, and we slowly to sway back and forth to the music that is coming from inside.

**_THE END_**

**

* * *

Text in Bold = *Telepathic communication***

_Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_

(1) – _Auld Lang Syne_, by Robert Burns, is the traditional song for ringing in the New Year in almost every English speaking country in the world.


End file.
